By John Haack and Brenda Erdahl
The Minnesota First reenactment group fought at Gettysburg over the Fourth of July Weekend in 1988, and that was inspiration for author Wayne D. Jorgenson to spend more than 10 years writing an epic account entitled “Every Man Did His Duty.”
Thanks to the efforts of John Haack, former MN First Volunteer, that book is now on the shelves of the Maple Lake Library, the Buffalo Public Library, and the Wright County Historical Society.
According to Haack, the book is a highly researched, scholarly account about those who rose to President Lincoln’s call to arms. Immediately after Lincoln’s request for men to fight in the South, Governor Ramsey offered 1,000 Minnesotans to fight for their union over the next few years starting in 1861. Jorgenson skillfully portrays the stories of these brave men and in many cases their stories are stranger than fiction could ever be, Haack said.
On Friday, Nov. 3, the First MN Volunteer Infantry celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Bloomington Event Center and Jorgenson gifted his book to all who have been members including Haack.
“I was able to convince Mr. Jorgenson that the Maple Lake Public Library, the Buffalo Public Library and the Wright County Historical Society would undoubtedly all like to have a copy of this book for their patrons to read and study over the coming years,” Haack said.
Haack presented the donated book to these organizations hoping that they will be widely read by local Civil War buffs and others.